


First Taste

by Amsare



Series: Tales From Dragon Keep [1]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Apprentice Rhys, Captivity, Drugs, Handsome Sorcerer, M/M, Mind Games, Prison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-05
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-08 23:16:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12264105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amsare/pseuds/Amsare
Summary: Rhys has one mission: get to Dragon Keep and find what the Handsome Sorcerer has stolen from the Academy. If he succeds, he will finally become Archmage and seriously, what else could he wish for?Rhys looked at the empty seat of Hugo next to the Headmaster, feeling a strange excitement in his chest: maybe it was fate. Hugo had to die so that he could finally take what was his. Archmage Rhys sounded good, didn't it?





	First Taste

**Author's Note:**

> How it began or how Rhys met the Handsome Sorcerer for the first time.

Archmage Hugo didn't come back the following day, nor the day after. In the end, it was clear that he had been killed by the Handsome Sorcerer so he would have never come back to the Academy. Headmaster Tassiter, sly little man, had announced Archmage Hugo's sad departure after a week since he had left for Dragon Keep. He stood up from his chair while everybody was still having dinner and said, “It's with great sadness that I'm informing you, our estimated friend and colleague Archmage Hugo had been killed by the ruthless Handsome Sorcerer. He will be missed.”  
All the students kept on eating anyway, as if the Headmaster had talked about the weather. Then, without any other word, he sat down on his chair, talking to Archmage Blake, a teacher sitting next to him.  
   
“No, he won't,” Rhys murmured, making his best friend Vaughn laugh. It was no secret that Rhys had always hated Hugo: he had stolen the position of Archmage from him, so his death was only a big relief. It had been Hugo's fault if by the age of twenty-seven he was still an assistant, cleaning up dirty cauldrons and putting back heavy books on the right shelves in the library. Most of the time he ended up getting yelled by Scooter, the librarian, and that wasn't his favorite part of the day. His life had become a real nightmare and it was frustrating.  
   
“Seriously, was he high or something when he decided to go to Dragon Keep?” Vaughn asked Rhys, taking a sip of apple cider. Yvette, who was sitting in front of them, chuckled and nodded, “I bet he was!”  
Rhys shrugged, “he wanted to take back some kind of ancient scrolls stolen by the Handsome Sorcerer years ago, when he was still a teacher here. All by himself.”  
Vaughn frowned, “well, he had it coming.”  
   
Rhys looked at the empty seat of Hugo next to the Headmaster, feeling a strange excitement in his chest: maybe it was fate. Hugo had to die so that he could finally take what was his. _Archmage Rhys_ sounded good, didn't it? Rhys smiled, taking a bite of chicken. “Do you think Headmaster Tassiter would like to see me tomorrow?” He asked to his friends casually.  
   
Vaughn seemed worried, “what do you have in mind Rhys?”  
   
Rhys smiled.  
   
   
Next day, Rhys went to the Headmaster's office. He waited for his turn sitting on a wooden chair in the waiting room; his legs were shaking under the robe and he couldn't take his eyes off the door. After long minutes, Archmage Blake opened the door; he went away without even looking at Rhys, but it wasn't a surprise as the old man wasn't known for his friendly personality.  
   
“Next.”  
   
Rhys stood up and entered the office; he couldn't resist to watch in awe the enormous room even if it wasn't the first time he stepped in there: tons of books covered the walls up to the ceiling and Rhys had always felt envious of that personal collection. He would have given everything just to be able to read one or two pages of those precious texts.  
“What bring you here, young...?” Headmaster Tassiter asked him from where he was sitting; he wasn't even looking at him as he was busy reading a document.  
“Rhys, Sir. I'm Rhys, Teacher Assistant,” he said, walking slowly towards the desk.  
   
The Headmaster didn't reply, still focused on the document, but Rhys wasn't discouraged by it. He scratched his head, cleared his throat and spoke again, “uh, I came here to talk about the empty Archmage position as Archmage Hugo left us, so...”  
The Headmaster sighed, putting down the scroll. He looked at Rhys unimpressed, “so you came here to take his place, am I right? You're not the first silly little mage coming through that door believing to be the best in this Academy, Rhys. Good evening.” He didn't say anything else, looking down on the scroll once again as if Rhys had been invisible.  
   
“But, Sir, I-”  
The Headmaster hit the desk with one fist, making Rhys jump. “I won't say it again, Rhys,” he hissed. “Archmage Hugo died last week and right now, choosing his replacement is the last of my worries. Those scrolls he was trying to get back are of inestimable worth and I sent him to Dragon Keep to succeed, but clearly, he wasn't strong enough.”  
   
Rhys opened his mouth in shock. “You... You sent him there?” He thought Hugo had wanted to go there of his own volition: he had bragged about it for days ("I'm going to take down the Handsome Sorcerer all by myself!")  
The Headmaster glared at him, “he knew the risks. It's not for you to judge.” He closed his eyes, looking as tired as ever.  
Rhys took his chance, “well, maybe, Sir, I could get those scrolls for you.”  
   
The Headmaster opened his eyes, looking at him as if he had turned into a filthy frog right there on his precious desk. He shook his head and then let out a cruel laugh: it was the first time Rhys had seen Headmaster Tassiter laughing like that. “Are you serious? Or maybe you didn't understand where these scrolls are,” he paused, “Dragon Keep.”  
Rhys blushed but he soon replied, “I got it the first time, Sir, thank you. But I think I can do it, I'm not Archmage Hugo.”  
   
He thought he was going to be turned into a small insect so that the Headmaster could step on it with his boot; the old man smiled instead, joining his hands. “Very well, Rhys. If you're so confident in yourself, enter Dragon Keep and bring me the scrolls back. If you come back, you'll be the new Archmage. If you don't, I'll pay you my respects as I did with Archamage Hugo. You'll be missed.”  
   
Rhys clenched his fists. “Tell me more about the Handsome Sorcerer.”  
Headmaster Tassiter smirked, “with pleasure. Have a sit, it won't take too long.”  
   
   
Rhys had never known why the Handsome Sorcerer had decided to abandon the Academy; all that he knew was just rumors told among students. Somebody said he had been cast away after having killed some students during a lesson, other thought he had been sick of the Academy and its rules. Headmaster Tassiter told him the truth (“You won't live long enough to tell the story, anyway”). The Handsome Sorcerer had been one of the most powerful magician in the Academy but unfortunately, he got interested in the dark arts, _necromancy_. He was obsessed with finding a way to cheat death once for all as he wanted to live forever: nobody knew why he had become such evil man, but it seemed like he had gone crazy after his wife and daughter died in a tragic accident. The Academy could not tolerate such behavior so the High Council decided to cast him away from those sacred walls; the Handsome Sorcerer had laughed at them, leaving the Academy taking many important scrolls, books and magical artefacts along with him.  
   
At the end of the story, Rhys didn't know what to say: his head was buzzing. He had wished Headmaster Tassiter good night and he went straight to bed. But as he laid down, he couldn't close his eyes not even for a second: adrenaline was keeping him awake. So, he sat at his desk and opened some of his old school books, checking some powerful location spells: if he was going to Dragon Keep he needed to be ready. Tassiter's story didn't scare him but made him even more eager to begin his journey to Dragon Keep.  
   
Even if Vaughn wasn't happy about it (“Seriously, how are you going to convince the Handsome Sorcerer to just give you the scrolls? Please, tell me you're joking, Rhys, you can’t be serious!”), there was no turning back now. Rhys had never been more convinced in his life: he could do it. He was smarter than Archmage Hugo ever was, younger and faster. Who knew how many other books and secret artefacts the Handsome Sorcerer kept in his lair! Rhys couldn't wait to put his hands on them.  
   
   
After just three days, he left the Academy. He hugged his friends, (“Don't die, Rhys,” Yevette had said while Vaughn was sobbing on her shoulder) and without turning his back, he took the path to the borderlands.  
   
Rhys was a good wizard, there was no doubt that he could survive outside the safety of the Academy walls. When some grass spiders as tall as his leg attacked him, he set them on fire; when a crazy old wizard came out from an abandoned house in the woods, he managed to knock him out. At night, he found refuge a cave, after making sure that no strange predator lived in there. He casted some protection spells and he slept soundly.  
Everything was going smoothly, maybe even too much, but things changed the moment he entered into the Forest.  
   
No more green plants, nor flowers, not even the slightest presence of spring water; actually, there was some purple liquid gushing out of the damp floor, as if the earth itself had been wounded by some kind of dark magic. He had never seen such liquid, not even during his studies back at the Academy: it made him feel uncomfortable, as if it was calling him, begging to be touched. Rhys shivered, wondering if it was alive. _Focus,_ he said to himself, _focus on your goal. Get to Dragon Keep._  
   
It wasn't as easy as before getting some rest in the Forest: no matter how many protection spells he used, he felt like he was being watched closely by somebody lurking in the dark. Was he being paranoid? Doubtful. You could expect the worst of the world in that place. He started having terrible nightmares where he drowned into that purple liquid, his lungs burning and heart exploding in his chest; then he woke up screaming and shaking, all by himself.  
   
   
On the fifth day, he got out of the Forest and he finally got a glimpse of Dragon Keep: it was so tall it seemed to pierce the sky, dark clouds circling it menacingly. He kept on walking and he expected to meet countless enemies ready to kill him but there was nobody waiting for him. _Strange,_ he thought, _that's too easy._ He couldn't shake off the feeling of having stepped into a trap of his own volition.  
   
After walking for a long day, he got to Dragon Keep main gate: he followed the long terrifying bridge to the main entrance and forced the heavy wooden door open. There wasn't anybody there, not even a servant, so Rhys entered the dark room, closing the door behind him with great care. _He knows I'm here,_ he thought.  
   
Into the darkness, he saw a long staircase in front of him and step after step he got to the upper level, where some candles had been lit on. He stepped in a long and endless corridor, going towards one of the closed doors.  
   
“You're finally here,” somebody whispered in his ear, making him scream; Rhys turned his back, only to find a tall, good-looking masked wizard looking at him with great interest. The Handsome Sorcerer had just appeared right behind him, wearing a fine dark robe. “Oh, sorry, cupcake, did I scare you?”  
   
Rhys was still shaking; his heart was beating like crazy in his chest as the powerful wizard conjured two heavy ropes around his ankles.  
   
“Now, now, I've been watching you, you know? I had everything under control. I'm sorry I spoiled your little plan of sneaking into my home,” he said, shrugging his shoulders, “let's get to know each other, shall we?”  
   
Rhys could only watch in horror as one of the Handsome Sorcerer's hand touched his forehead, making him scream in pain. His touch was burning hot, but he didn't make any sign to move his hand away. "Stop!" Rhys screamed. The powerful mage was reading his mind: usually it wasn't such painful magical experience but without any preparation in advance, that was the only explanation for the unbearable pain in his head. Part of him wished he could hide his deepest secrets somewhere safe but he was naked under the Sorcerer's magic gaze.  
   
“Oh, I see,” he said, “so you're not here just for the scrolls, uh? You want more, uh.” He left Rhys alone so that he could catch his breath, “shame you're gonna die horribly, Rhys. But that's what happens to kids studying at the Academy these days.”  
Rhys found his voice, “wait!”  
   
The Handsome Sorcerer tilted his head, “wait what? Should I keep you in my castle?” He asked him sarcastically, “what makes you so different from all the other idiots who came here seeking for my precious scrolls, thief? What makes you so special to let you believe you don't deserve death? It's because you think you deserve best? Well, I'm gonna tell you a secret,” he kept closer to Rhys' face, smirking at him, “every single moron on this hole of a planet thinks to be different from the others, but they're just morons.”  
   
Rhys swallowed and looked at the powerful man in front of him; he swallowed again, trying to regain composure. “But I don't mean any harm, p-please...”  
The man laughed, conjuring other ropes out of thin air. “Already begging, are we? Good, good. Now try again, kiddo, but say the truth this time. I've already read your mind after all.”  
   
Rhys panics; his eyes widened in fear and his mouth was dry.  
   
The Handsome Sorcerer sighed, “as I suspected, you don't have the guts. So you're a thief, and a liar. How disappointing.” He opened his right palm twice and suddenly the ropes were tightening around Rhys' body and neck, making his eyes water.  
   
“Please, please, Sir, don't-“ The young man made a strangled noise, mouth opened and tongue hanging out... Everything went black.  
   
   
_Cold._  
   
   
Rhys shivered as he was lying on a cold stone floor. He wasn't wearing his robe, but he still got his pants on, thankfully. His head hurt and his whole body was numb. He sighed as he tried to open his eyes but he soon discovered he was in a very dark room. With his last energy, he tried to conjure a fire: a feeble flame appeared mid-air, its pleasant heat making him groan in relief. On the bright side he was still alive. Kept in a sort of dungeon, yes, but alive. He managed to sit up on his knees, trying to find the door of his prison... But there was none. It was like he was being held in a box made of stone. Claustrophobic.  He tried to cast a freedom spell but he couldn't; there was a block in his head, on his powers. It was so frustrating!  
   
“Hello again.” The Handsome Sorcerer materialized out of a purple cloud making Rhys cough. “How are you feeling after our little chat, uh?”  
“I've felt better,” Rhys rasped, “where am I?”  
“Oh, don't worry, you're in a special place for naughty kids just like you.”  
“W-What? I thought you wanted to kill me.”  
“Yeah, I know right? If I had killed you, now we wouldn't be talking,” he chuckled, putting one hand under Rhys' chin to make him look up, “no, but seriously while you were gagging and slowly dying like an animal, I thought _hey, why don't I use him for some secret experiments?_ So, congratulations on that. You didn't end up like the last one, I should have put his skeleton somewhere in the castle.”  
   
Rhys frowned, “what kind of experiments?” In his mind, he was already picturing zombies and undead skeletons wandering around the planet eating brains. The man had probably seen it too somehow, as he started to laugh; he left Rhys' chin and pretended to wipe a tear off his eye. “By the spirits, what are you thinking, kid? Zombies? Really? No, no, no, you're way off, I'm talking about secret stuff, which involves you being the perfect specimen for my cool secret study. You'll like it, trust me.”  
   
Anguish in his chest, Rhys hugged himself, feeling as exposed as ever; maybe his friends were right to say he had been an idiot to go there in the first place. He could imagine Headmaster Tassiter giving a poor excuse of a speech during breakfast: _I'm sorry to inform you about the death of one of your colleagues... He'll be missed._  
   
“Terms!” The Handsome Sorcerer exclaimed, “if you behave until tomorrow, I'll consider the idea of letting you out of here. If you don't, well, you're welcome to stay in this box. Easy.” He looked at Rhys' flame which was still burning mid-air and chuckled, “what a cute little fire you got here, by the way, you think you could do it all over again if I switch it off?” and with that, he winked at him and disappeared, leaving Rhys with his thoughts alone and without any fire.  
   
He cursed but he soon tried to conjure the flame once again as he really didn't want to freeze. He didn't know how many hours passed but after a while, he fell asleep on the cold floor, completely drained. A feeble flame was burning shyly next to him.  
   
   
The Handsome Sorcerer kept his word: the day after, he let Rhys out of that place and gave him a new yellow robe to wear. He took him to the corridor he had seen the day before as soon as he had arrived there and pointed at one of the doors. “Clean yourself up and wear this,” he said, “you can use that door, take your time.” So Rhys stepped in one of the most elegant bathrooms he had ever seen: the marble floor was so shiny he could see himself in it and there was a pool-like tub in the center of the room.  
   
He took a hot bath, trying to relax as if he wasn't about to become a test subject for one of the most dangerous wizards on Pandora. All his muscles hurt after a night sleeping on the floor and he massaged his neck, feeling as tensed as ever.  
   
When he dressed up, Rhys looked at his own reflection on the wall-sized mirror for the first time in days: his face looked paler and he had bags under his eyes. The hot bath didn't help. He fixed his hair and then he took a deep breath but he still didn't dare to move. Was it happening for real? Should he be scared? By the spirits!  
   
_Come on, Rhys, I'm waiting!_  
   
Rhys jumped as he heard the Handsome Sorcerer's voice loud and clear in his head. “W-What?”  
   
_I know you're ready, don't keep me waiting!_  
   
As he didn't want to annoy him, Rhys finally got out of the bathroom; he expected to meet the Sorcerer outside the door but the corridor was empty.  
   
_Follow the light,_ the man said again in Rhys' head; the young man was about to ask _which light_ , but a bright red globe appeared in front of his face floating mid-air and then, it started to move. “Wait!” Rhys called for it, but the globe was going faster and Rhys had to run. Last thing he wanted was to get lost in Dragon Keep. His steps echoed in the corridors, and Rhys wondered where the red globe was taking him. Suddenly, the globe stopped at the bottom of a stairwell and it vanished.  
   
“Uh, okay…” Rhys went upstairs, step after step and he got to an enormous library. There were tons of books piled up on shelves and on the floor; scrolls were scattered on the luxurious carpets and the only big desk was facing a big window. The light dawn was shining through the glass.  
   
“Here you are,” the Handsome Sorcerer said. He was sitting at his desk on an elegant wooden throne, a book in his hand. Next to him, there was a golden goblet glowing purple. Who knew what kind of poison the man was drinking.  “Oh by the spirits, it's not poison,” he said, chuckling and closing his book.  
   
Rhys blushed: he still wasn't used to somebody reading his thoughts constantly. The older man looked at him with a smirk on his face, “oh, come on, Rhys, it's not like I'm reading your mind every seconds, you should be burning up by now! You're noisy, that's all. A noisy little thinker.” He motioned him to get closer, and Rhys walked towards the desk. He looked inside the goblet: the glowing purple liquid reminded him the one gushing out the earth back in the Forest.  
   
The Handsome Sorcerer noticed his curiosity, “beautiful, isn't it?”  
“What is it?” Rhys asked him in awe. He was feeling that urge to touch it, drink it... “It's... It's strange.”  
   
The Handsome Sorcerer smiled at him, taking the goblet and bringing it to his lips. He took a sip and when he put it down, his eyes glowed purple for a moment; he let out a groan of pleasure, “this, my little wizard, is Eridium. And it’s the reason why you're still here kicking.”  
Rhys' eyes widened in shock. It was impossible.  
“So you heard about it, uh?”  
   
Eridium was one of the most powerful and mysterious magical matter on Pandora; they said it was so rare that nobody had ever seen it for real, or if they did, well, they didn't survive long enough to tell the story as it made people go insane. Rhys had never seen it and he didn't expect it to be purple for sure. “I saw it in the Forest... Why nobody knows about this? I mean, it comes out of the earth itself, everybody could take it.”  
   
The Handsome Sorcerer laughed at the younger man's reaction. He stood up, taking the goblet in one hand and he dipped a finger into the liquid. “Because I don't want to let the Academy know. Don't you see?” He brought his wet finger to his lips, licking it. “I'm the one in charge. Tassiter sends his best puppies in here looking out for some scrolls, books, whatever, when he could have all this,” he pointed at the goblet, mischievous eyes fixed on Rhys who was still in shock. “If I had stayed teaching at the Academy, now I wouldn’t live in here, I wouldn’t be one of the most powerful sorcerer on Pandora. Imagine my surprise, when I found out that Eridum wasn’t just a story to tell children by night.” He smiled but it wasn’t a reassuring smile and Rhys shivered. “Tassiter and his friends in the High Council are a bunch of stupid monkeys, too much scared to step over the line to do what it’s right. They wanted me to stay in my place, playing with my magic wand as a good little wizard, but come on! The world doesn’t end with the Academy, kiddo, so, that's when we come to you. Didn't you want power?”  
   
Rhys looked at the goblet hold in front of him: the Handsome Sorcerer was offering him to drink Eridium? “I-I don't understand,” he said, sounding a little hysterical, “it could kill me, I mean, I don't-” But Rhys couldn't end up his sentence as the other man rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers, making him fell on his knees as if he had been kicked in the stomach. Rhys gasped and looked up, meeting the Sorcerer's eyes: he was getting angry.  
   
“Okay, I see you’re not getting it. Maybe I talked too much. Now, I don't know what those idiots told you about me, but I'm not a patient person. I could easily force you to drink this ‘til the last drop, but hey, it would be just a waste of magic. So, open your mouth, Rhysie.”  
   
Rhys tilted his head back, scared for his own life; the older man kneeled next to him, pouring some liquid into his mouth. “Good,” he murmured pleased, “now swallow.”  
Rhys felt his cheeks burning hot for the embarrassment and he nearly gagged to the heavy taste of Eridium. It felt wrong but somehow it was right: some part of him deep inside was rejoicing in it.  
   
“Can you feel it, Rhys?” The Handsome Sorcerer was radiant. He put the goblet down and watched the young man whose eyes were glowing purple.  
“It's...” Rhys didn't know what to say: every single fiber of his body was reacting to the Eridium and it was glorious.  
“I know, kiddo, nothing's like the first time,” the other man replied, putting both hands on Rhys' shoulders. “It's like you're coming back to life once again, stronger than before. Isn't it good?”  
   
Rhys grabbed the man's robe tight as his stomach burned, and the Handsome Sorcerer remained right in front of him, squeezing his shoulders lightly. “Let the Eridium flow through your body, embrace it, kiddo. Don't fight it. I need your powers.”  
   
Was _this_ one of his studies?  Feeding him with Eridium to see what would have happened? But in that moment, nothing else mattered anymore: the Academy, the scrolls, Headmaster Tassiter... “I've never felt like this before,” Rhys managed to say, overwhelmed by the power of the Eridium. His mind was blank and there was bliss, pure bliss spreading through his body, enhancing his magic… It was like everything in his life was making sense for the first time in his life.  
   
“And this is just the first taste,” the Handsome Sorcerer smiled and murmured, “welcome to Dragon Keep, Rhys.”  
 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm also on tumblr! [ http://amsare-saxon-picture-show.tumblr.com/](http://amsare-saxon-picture-show.tumblr.com/)


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